Ice-surfacing mechanism



Sept; 26, 1939'. A. o. STRAND ET AL ICE-SUBFACING MECHANISM Filed April 8, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 y Charles Tapper ATTORNEY A. o. STRAND El 'Al.

Sept. 26, 1939.

IGE-SUBFACING MECHANISM Filed April 8, 1957 2 Sheets-Shaft 2 INVENTORS AZ Fred 0. 6 Hand y Charles E? Ta e2 m.

A TTORNEYS.

Patented Sept. 26, 1939 UNITED STATES ICE- SURFACIN G MECHANISM Alfred 0. Strand and Charles E. Tupper, Minneapolis, Minn.

Application April 8, 1937, Serial No. 135,822

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to an ice surfacer and more particularly to a mechanism for removing ice deposits such as accumulate on the floors of loading rooms of large ice companies.

'5 The mechanism is also desirable for smoothing and bringing to a desired level an ice sheet such as that of a curling or skating rink. In the loading rooms of ice companies there is gradually accumulated, on the floor of the room, irregular ice deposits which make the footing exceedingly hazardous, and which require a large amount of time on the part of attendants in chipping away this accumulation to facilitate handling of the ice and to reduce the hazard of slipping and falling on the part of employees.

An object of the present invention is to make an ice surfacing mechanism having an adjustable power driven cutter for the cutting and surfacing of ice accumulations and sheets.

Another object is to make an improved and simplified ice surfacing mechanism.

In order to attain these objects there is provided, in accordance with one feature of the invention, a frame having a pair of runners, and having a rotary power driven cutter mounted substantially on the same plane as the lower edges of said runners, said cutter being vertically adjustable within predetermined limits with respect to said runners. An ice receiving receptacle is positioned in the path of ice particles thrown off by the operation of said power driven cutter, said receptacle being removable, to facilitate disposing of ice deposited in the receptacle.

These and other features of the invention will be more fully set forth in the following description and in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a mechanism embodying the present invention, an ice receiving receptacle being shown as partly withdrawn from its housing, and a portion of the housing,

and of a belt guard being broken away,

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation of a combined side plate and runner,

Figure 3 is an edge view of the plate illustrated in Figure 2 with an adjustable bearing support member mounted in position thereon, and a fragment of a top motor support plate being shown,

Figure 4 is a view in side elevation of an adjustable bearing support member, showing the interior side thereof,

Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Figure 1,

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view through a side plate and bearing support taken as on the line 6-6 of Figure 2,

Figure 7 is a View in side elevation of a rotatable power driven cutter,

Figure 8 is a top view of a front plate, and,

Figure 9 is a top view of a side plate with a portion broken away.

Referring to the drawings in detail, a cutter housing I comprises a pair of side plates 2 and 3, a forward end plate 4, and a top plate 5. The side plates 2 and 3 and the front plate 4 are preferably of cast iron, while the top plate 5 may be of boiler plate. The front plate 4 has a pair of inwardly projecting flanges B and I (see Figure 8) each of the flanges being provided with a pair of threaded openings to receive cap screws 8 (see Figure 1) by means of which the front plate is fixedly attached to the side plates.

The lower edge of each of the side plates is straight, to serve as a guide to the cutter, and is provided with an outwardly extending runner flange 9, the front and rear corners thereof being rounded to permit the device to be slidably moved over rough ice. The upper edge of each of the side plates 2 and 3 is provided with an inwardly extending flange I0, (see Figures 3 and 9) which is provided with a plurality of threaded openings to receive screws I I by means of which the cover plate 5 is securely fastened to the side walls.

A shaft opening I2 is provided in each of the side walls each of the openings I 2 being elongated vertically to receive an annular flange I! of a bearing support member I3 for vertical adjustment therein. The bearing support member I3, best shown in Figures 3, 4, and 6, comprises a planiform portion I4 having an opening I5 therein to receive a ball bearing I6 (see Figure 6). The bearing support member I3 is provided with a pair of vertically slotted openings I8 and I 9 (see Figure 4) adapted to receive cap screws 20 and 2I (see Figure 6) which are inserted in the slotted openings I8 and I9 and have threaded engagement with a pair of threaded openings 22 and 23 (see Figure 2) located respectively above and below the openings I 2. The upper end of the bearing support I3 has an outwardly extending projection 26 with an internally threaded opening therein to threadedly receive an adjusting screw 21 which has a freely rotating lit in an opening in a bracket 28 one of which extends outwardly from each of the side plates 2 and 3.

Mounted in an inner race of the ball bearing I6 is a shaft 29 having a plurality of cutter blades 30 mounted thereon. A grooved pulley 3] is keyed to the shaft 29 and has driven connection, by means of a V belt 32, with an electric motor 33 fixedly secured to the top plate I by means of bolts 34'. An ice receptacle housing 31 is of sheet metal and is secured. to the cutter housing I as by means of screws 38 (see Figure 1). The receptacle housing 31 is in open communication with the interior of the cutter housing I, so that chips of ice removed by the cutter 30 will be thrown backward into the housing 31. The bottom of the housing 31 has the forward portion 42 thereof extended forwardly and downwardly to a point just in rear of the cutter 30 to act as a deflector in guiding ice chips, thrown back by the cutter, into a receptacle 39. The receptacle 39, in the nature of a scoop or drawer, (see Figures 1 and 5) has its forward end open to receive ice chips from the cutter 30 and is adapted to be inserted in the open rear end of the housing 31. The receptacle 39 is provided with a handle 40, on its rear face (see Figure 5) and also has a transversely positioned tubular brace member 43 which may be used as a carrying handle when emptying the receptacle.

An operating handle 44 is preferably of wood and has a pair of strap iron mounting members 45 mounted one on each side of the lower end thereof to form a yoke. These strap iron members each have a reverse bend therein, extending downwardly along the side plates 2 and 3 to which they are each secured by screws 46 and 41 to rigidly connect the handle 44 to the cutter housing I. A brace member 48 is mounted inside of the strap iron members 45 to add rigidity to the handle.

A pair of conductors are mounted in a rubber covered conductor cord 49, one end of the conductors being connected into a junction box 53 mounted on the motor 33, the other ends of the conductors being connected into a switch box 5| from which a rubber covered conductor cord 52 of a suitable length may be connected to an electrical outlet receptacle, not shown, by means of a plug 51. The switch box 5| is provided with a switch of a conventional type, not shown, having an operating handle 53 extending outwardly from the box for manual control. The handle 44 has a transverse grip portion 54 mounted in a grip support 55 which is secured to the handle 44 by means of bolts 56.

Operation To operate the device the switch 53 is moved to the off position and the plug 51, carried by the cord 52, is plugged into a convenient receptacle outlet. The machine is then moved by means of the handle 44 to a position adjacent the ice that is to be smoothed or removed. The switch 53 is then closed which energizes the motor 33 and rotates the cutter 39. The device is then slidably moved back and forth across the ice which is to be removed, the cutter 33 removing any ice projecting upwardly above the level of the cutter blades, and throwing the chips of ice thus removed back into the receptacle 39.

The blade may be adjusted by loosening the cap screws 20 and 2| and adjusting the bearing supports I3, upwardly or downwardly as desired by means of the screw 21. After the adjustment is completed the cap screws 20 and 2| should again be tightened to lock the bearing support [3 firmly in position.

For general use the level of the blades should be approximately on the same plane as the lower edges of the runners so that the height of the runners will determine the plane of surfacing. However, in removing ice from a rough wooden floor it is sometimes desirable to have the cutter blades slightly higher than the plane of the lower edges of the runners so that the cutter blades will not strike any irregular portions of the floor itself, and where a heavier cut is desired the cutter may be lowered to have the lower edges of the blades below the plane of the lower edges of the runners.

The device comprises a simple and effective mechanism which has been found after a test period of actual everyday use in the loading room of a large ice company to quickly and effectively remove large accumulations of ice from the floor of the loading room, and to greatly simplify the maintaining of a, proper floor condition in such rooms.

We claim:

1. An ice surfacing mechanism comprising a cutter housing, said cutter housing having the sides thereof projecting downwardly, the lower edge of each of said side portions having a runner formed thereon, the lower edges of said runners being substantially parallel, an adjustable bearing support mounted on each of said side plates, a rotatable cutter mounted in said bearing supports, the cylinder of rotation of said cutter being adjustable within predetermined limits on either side of a plane determined by the lower edges of said runners, a receptacle housing extending laterally from said cutter housing in the path of ice particles removed by said cutter, an ice receptacle removably mounted in said receptacle housing, and power drive means having driving connection with said cutter to rotate said cutter on an actuation of said power drive means.

2. An ice surfacing mechanism comprising a cutter housing, said cutter housing having the sides thereof projecting downwardly, the lower edge of each of said side portions having a runner formed thereon, the lower edges of said runners being substantially parallel, an adjustable bearing support mounted on each of said side plates, a rotatable cutter mounted in said bearing supports, the cylinder of rotation of said cutter being adjustable within predetermined limits on either side of a plane determined by the lower edges of said runners, a receptacle housing extending laterally from said cutter housing in the path of ice particles removed by said cutter, an ice receptacle removably mounted in said receptacle housing, said receptacle housing having a portion thereof extending diagonally downward toward said lower edge of said cutter and terminating short of said cutter to deflect ice particles removed by said cutter upwardly into said receptacle.

ALFRED O. STRAND. CHARLES E. TUPPER. 

